Lucid Air vs. BMW I4 E40

[Batteryman]

we have both. 2025 i4e40 a Air Touring. I'm on my 2nd Lucid - a 2025 Touring after my original '22 Touring.

Lucid drives great, I really love the driving experience, the handling, the comfort. I had far more problems with my '22 Air than I am with my '25, but there are still some glitches... door handles & key fob issues are still not solved, pretty unbelievably, sometimes reverse cameras just don't come on (10% of the time?), and sometimes it will lose Carplay connection for no reason at all. Nothing disastrous like I had with my '22 (3 MAJOR failures with tow-in and big system replacements) but still annoyances.

The i4 drives better than i thought, is not as comfortable (and not even CLOSE for back seat passengers)... and has its own weirdness with that new UI setup in the '25s+. So very german... tons of menus, odd organiztion... just trying to find the option or setting you're looking for is an annoying process. My wife is the primary driver of this car and she loves it in general, but doing things like scheduling charging to happen after midnight is so ridiculously convoluted in their UI as to be laughable. It has its own issues with driver profiles, especially if both of our phones are in the car. Its parking cameras aren't nearly as good as the Lucid's... (though they do always work), but the Europeans DO know how to make keyfobs that reliably unlock the doors when you approach... infallibly.

My sister also has an Air Touring, and she has the same glitches with keyfobs and entry as well... she says she'd like a car that is less "moody". Sometimes the car is like "hey, welcome! Ready to go", and other times it's like "f-off, go away, i'm not in the mood to go anywhere today." She jokes about it but says she's probably done with Lucid when her lease is up (and if they treat her end-of-lease like they did mine, she's definitely gone).

Both cars have their plusses and their quirks. If you're leasing, my own experience is to tell you to stay away from Lucid entirely... at least until they replace BofA as their lease partner.

Yeah, that key fob is a disaster, wonder how many sales they lost because of it……and they can’t even fix it……

 

[DeaneG]

Yeah, that key fob is a disaster, wonder how many sales they lost because of it……and they can’t even fix it……

Fortunately, not everyone views the fob as a major problem. It's been fine for me.

 

[Bonanzajohn]

Best car ever - 500 miles of range - no anxiety - few software issues all resolved - hands free now good but only on interstates or similar

 

[L-Dude]

Fortunately, not everyone views the fob as a major problem. It's been fine for me.

I learned not to use the FOB and mobile key at the same time and the FOB alone has been very reliable for me. I expected the problem to be much worse than it turned out to be.

 

[Steveinarizona]

I learned not to use the FOB and mobile key at the same time and the FOB alone has been very reliable for me. I expected the problem to be much worse than it turned out to be.

It would be nice to be able to have the fob and still be able to use the mobile key but, at least to me, it seems like a minor annoyance rather than a deal stopper. But, having said that, I don't know of any other car that doesn't allow you to have both. So it should be fixed.

 

[L-Dude]

It would be nice to be able to have the fob and still be able to use the mobile key but, at least to me, it seems like a minor annoyance rather than a deal stopper. But, having said that, I don't know of any other car that doesn't allow you to have both. So it should be fixed.

Agreed, but I think if it was fixable, they would have done so by now.

 

[borski]

It would be nice to be able to have the fob and still be able to use the mobile key but, at least to me, it seems like a minor annoyance rather than a deal stopper. But, having said that, I don't know of any other car that doesn't allow you to have both. So it should be fixed.

I use both and have no issues. I just did it a couple days ago when handing it off to service, since I brought the fob with me.

I know some people have issues but “doesn’t allow you to have both” is a big stretch.

 

[Steveinarizona]

I use both and have no issues. I just did it a couple days ago when handing it off to service, since I brought the fob with me.

I know some people have issues but “doesn’t allow you to have both” is a big stretch.

Interesting. Modern EVs are so complex I wonder if it is just a setting somewhere creating a conflict for some owners.

 

[DeaneG]

...I expected the problem to be much worse than it turned out to be.

Thanks to so many saying "the sky is falling... it's a disaster!" on this forum

 

[Miami_Lucid_Man]

I have a 2025 air pure RWD. I test drove the edrive40 and the M 50 when it first came out. The major difference to me between the BMW and Lucid similar to the BMW and even a Tesla is that the Lucid like the Tesla is a purpose built EV. The i4 just had too many compromises on the interior for me due to the fact that it was born as an ice vehicle.

I’ve had faster cars in the past then my Pure but it’s plenty powerful and not quite as heavy as some of the higher spec models. The launch control and sprint mode is surprisingly quick.

If you’re looking for fast and most importantly nimble, I think that Pure is your best bet. If it wasn’t clear, I love mine.